Review Blog

Nov 16 2011

BOM! went the bear by Nicki Greenberg

Allen and Unwin, 2011, ISBN 9781 74237 671 4
(Ages 4+) Picture book. Bear is proud of his ability with his drum and loudly plays it around the forest, but when some of the other animals come along displaying their talents with various instruments, bear becomes more and more put out, until he walks off again banging his own drum, leaving the other animals behind him.
Each double page has another animal or group of animals playing a musical instrument, the pages filled with lively colourful illustrations, sure to entice younger readers. One page has a group of frogs playing the xylophone, with the words, Frogs play the xylophone, Plank, plunk, plink, while the drawings show several frogs hopping across a xylophone in some disarray, another has the Lizard on a zither with a zink - a zink zink, with a hapless lizard trying to play this uncommon instrument. Each double page invites the reader to join with the rhyming lines, and learn from the illustrations what these instruments are.
All in all a fun filled book with plenty to laugh about in the illustrations and rhymes, this book will be well used in pre school and early childhood groups where the teacher encourages students to join in. And watch out for the changes in bear's face as he sees what is happening around him. I just love his confident look on the first page, becoming less and less confident as the pages are turned.
Fran Knight